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Josep Sanchez Llibre

Spanish economy 19th July 2022

Foment, The Catalan Employers’ Association, Accuses The Government Of Being “South American Populist”

The president of Foment has raised the tone against the Government during his investiture speech with respect to the already critical statements after last week’s state of the nation debate. The employers’ leader considers that Pedro Sánchez is feeding a discourse against companies, of “hidden powers, “cigar lords” and “media conspiracies” that places them as “the bad guys in the film”, thus drawing the dichotomy between “the powerful” and the…

pedro sanchez preocupado

Spanish economy, Spanish Politics 14th July 2022

Against Inflation… More Taxes

Fernando Gonzalez Urbaneja | Economics textbooks have a heading to add to the chapter on inflation: the one dictated by Dr Pedro Sánchez before Parliament. After warning that inflation (10% annual rate) is the most worrying problem for the government, he deployed a series of “anti-inflationary” measures, among them, new taxes for banks and energy companies on extraordinary profits . The president spoke about his concern about the influence of…

Government

Spanish Politics 4th July 2022

Sánchez: There Is A “Conspiracy Of Dark Powers” That Wants To “Overthrow” The Government

In Spain “there are dark powers” that try to boycott the government because it is “annoying”, “uncomfortable”. These powers “yearn for an old order”. And they have “media and political terminals”, which they do not hesitate to use to “demobilise the electorate” and “strike” at the coalition government, until “the progressives give up”. We do not know their faces, but they are “gentlemen with cigars” meeting in the “cenacles of…

spanish PM pedro sanchez

Spanish Politics 27th June 2022

Institutions De-Legitimised, Democracy Broken Down

Fernando González Urbaneja | The most striking aspect of the Prime Minister’s speech on Saturday was his assertion that the judiciary (Constitutional and CGPJ) is delegitimised because the PP does not accept the terms proposed by the government. To top off the accusation, Sánchez argues that the PP, by not renewing, violates the Constitution. The political history of the PSOE led by Sánchez insists on pushing the opposition, the PP,…

Siro

Spanish economy 14th June 2022

Galletas Siro: When Viability Demands Government-Sponsored Wage Cuts

Unions are proposing wage rises in line with inflation (above 8% in Spain), spurred on by a Labour Minister in a constant election campaign. Meanwhile, Industry Minister, Reyes Maroto, has just pushed through an agreement that allows a historic company, Galletas Siro, which lost 47 million last year and stopped paying its employees’ salaries last May, to avoid bankruptcy. After the improvements in the original adjustment plan, the agreement includes…

congreso

Spanish Politics 27th May 2022

PSOE And UP Clash Over The Audiovisual Law, Which Was Finally Saved By The PP’s Abstention

Another heart-stopping vote. Now for the audiovisual law. Once again, the Government has ended up at odds with its partners and, on this occasion, also with itself. The PSOE and Unidas Podemos have split with a vote in favour and an abstention, respectively, despite the fact that it is a law that has been sponsored by the Executive itself. This was evident in the vote: 130 yeses (PSOE, PNV, CC,…

Government

Spanish economy 29th March 2022

Sánchez Puts The Cost Of The War Response Plan To Be Approved By The Government Tuesday At 16 Billion Euros

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez yesterday outlined the main lines of the Shock War Response Plan to be approved today by the Council of Ministers. The plan contains measures until 30 June aimed at cushioning the impact of the crisis on families and businesses. The plan is worth 16 billion euros: 6 billion euros in direct aid and tax reductions, and 10 billion in ICO credits. It has five main pillars:…

Government

Spanish economy 24th March 2022

The Government Has Too Many Bills Coming Due

Fernando González Urbaneja | It is like a creditors’ meeting, which never comes at a good time. The government has too many bills coming due for which it is short of liquidity, i.e. votes and parliamentary and social support. The weekly control session in Congress demonstrated the loneliness and, above all, the feeling of incomprehension, mental fatigue and surprise of a Prime Minister who is not short of self-esteem. Nothing…

Lamanodedios

Spanish economy 19th March 2022

“Saving The PSOE”

On 1 October 2016, the day the PSOE executive kicked Pedro Sánchez out of the party’s general secretariat (his subsequent revenge would be merciless) El País defined Sánchez’s profile in its editorial “Saving the PSOE”: “The inevitable and legitimate dismissal of Pedro Sánchez is the only way out for the party”. “The departure of the PSOE’s secretary general, Pedro Sánchez, is essential…. Sánchez has not turned out to be a…

Sanchez Feijoo

Spanish economy 14th March 2022

New Leader Of The PP Debuts With An Agreement With The Government, Which Agrees To Lower Taxes

Yesterday, during the meeting of the Summit of Autonomous Community Presidents held on the Canary Island of La Palma, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez proposed a change in his fiscal policy by proposing a tax cut, set out in the so-called Declaration of La Palma. Sánchez has not specified what this tax cut the government is working on will entail. He has limited himself to assuring it will alleviate the “sectors…